Box or crate



June 16,1925. 1,541,872

I R. STODDARD' BOX 0!! (IR-ATEv Filed July 25, 1924 Patented June 16, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT ori ice.

nontsn'r sronnnnn, or cnronso, runners, assie'non re Minx BOTTLE con- PANY, or CHICAGO, rumors, a oonronnrcion or ILLINOIS.

To all whom it may comerm Be it known that I, ROBERT STODDARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Boxes or Crates, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a novel and improved box or crate and more particularly to a novel and improved corner thereof and has for its objectto provide aoorner for boxes and crates which are subjected to rough usage and which will act as a protectiontherefor.

More specifically the object is toprovide a novel and improved stacking iron which maybe employed upon a box or crate, of a type which may be applied to boxes or crates of the kind which are usually stacked one on top of the other.

Other objects will become apparent as the description progresses;

In theaccompanying drawings in which I have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a corner of a box or crate with my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an elevation of my improved stacking iron and Fig. 5 is a bottom plan viewthereof.

Referring now to the drawings, 1 and 2 indicate sides of a box or crate forming a corner 3. It is common to provide reinforceinents and stacking irons at the corners of boxes or crates of the type which are usually stacked one upon the, other, such for example as milk bottle crates. These stacking irons have commonly consisted of flat members riveted or bolted, or even nailed to the top slat or board of the crate or box. The result is that they are soon torn off by the rough usage to which such boxes or crates are subjected. To provide against such mishaps I make my improved stacking iron and reinforcement preferably of one piece of material, such as sheet metal and having the horizontal top 4, vertical sides 5 and 6 at right angles to each other and terminating in bent-in lugs 7 and 8. The top a is provided. with a struck-up pro- Boxononnrn.v i

Application filed July 25, 1924. Serial nofraalvo. i

jection having a horizontal top 9 and vertical sides 10 and'll at right angles to each other.

In the sides 1 and 2 of the box I provide slots 12 and 13 extending perpendicularly to the faces of the sides and so placed as to receive the lugs '7 and 8. Preferably the vertical sides 5 and 6 and the horizontal top are countersunk into the material of the box or crate so as to provide flush surfaces, although this is a matter of choice.

In order to secure my stacking iron and reinforcement in place I provide the horizontal top 4- with a plurality of openings 14 to receive suitable fastening devices, such as nails 15. These openings may be of any desired number but in this embodiment I have illustrated them as being four in numher and registering with two of them, I pro vide openings 16 in the lugs 7 and 8 whereby certain of the nails 15 may be supplied of any sufficient length to. pass through both openings 14: and 16' to securely anchor the iron in place. These nails are preferably countersunk at their heads, as shown, to provide a smooth upper surface on which the next crate or box may rest.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a novel and improved box or crate having a reinforcement for a corner thereof which may be easily stamped out of one sheet of material and which, when applied, may be fastened in place by a few nails and without the use of any more complicated fastening means, such as rivets or bolts. The aligned apertures 14 and 16 provide means for securely anchoring the device in position and it can not become" loose without breaking the crate or box, The horizontal top 4 provides an increased wearing surface for the box or crate which. is to be placed on top thereof and the sides 10 and 11 of the projection will engage within the corner of the next crate or box to hold it in position. The bottom of the next box on top may be provided with a complementary iron or may be left plain, as desired. Of course, it is evident that the projection designed to engage the bottom of another box may be omitted if it is desired to use my invention with other types of boxes or crates and the remaining struc ture forms a most efficient and satisfactory reinforcement and protection for the corner.

lVhile I have shown and described my invention as forming a combined stacking iron and corner reinforcement, it is to be understood that it is not limited to use at the corner of a boxer crate but may find utility in other places to which it may be adapted. I am aware that changes in the form, construction and arrangement of parts may be made without departing from the spirit and without sacrificing the advantages of the invention and I reserve the right. to make all such changes as fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim v 1. A device of the class described comprising a horizontaltopadapted tocontact with the top edge of a box or-crate, and a vertical sideadapted to contact with a side of said box or crate, said side terminating in a bent-in lug adapted to engagein a slot: in said box.

2. A device of* the class described comprising a horizontal top adapted to contact with the top-edge of a box or crate, and; a verticalside adapted to contact with a side of said box or crate,- said side terminating in abent-in'lug: adapted to engage in a slot in saidbox, saidztep and-said lug being provided with. apertures to receive fastening means;

3. A device of the class described comprising a-liorizontal top adapted to contact with the top edge of a box or crate, and a vertical side adapted to contact with a side of saidbox or crate, said side terminating in a bent-in lug adapted to engage in a slot in said box, said top and said lug being provided with apertures to receive fastening means, certain of the apertures in said top and. bottom being aligned.

4. A device of the class described having vertical sides arranged at right angles to each other, a horizontal. top connecting the top edge of said si.des,.a projection above saidtop for; the purpose set forth, the lower edges of saidl verticaL sides beingprovided. with bent-in lugs, and aligned apertures in said top and said lugs to receive fastening means.

5. In combination, a box having slots adjacent' a corner thereof, astacking iron adapted to cover said corner and having bent-in, lugs entering said slotsand a top covering the upper edges of said corner, and

fastening meanspassing through said top andisaid lugs;

6. In combination a box having a slot in a wall thereof adjacent a corner, a stacking iron disposed on the. topedge of said. box adjacent the-corner thereof and having a bent inlug: entering said slot, and having a top overlying the edge of StLlCl'lJOX, and.fas tening means passing through apertures in said top and in! said lugthereby securing said iron to said box.

ROBERT STODDARD. 

